Political structures and the topology of simplicial complexes

Andrea Mock and Ismar Volic

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Abstract: We use the topology of simplicial complexes to model political structures following [1]. Simplicial complexes are a natural tool to encode interactions in the structures since a simplex can be used to represent a subset of compatible agents. We translate the wedge, cone, and suspension operations into the language of political structures and show how these constructions correspond to merging structures and introducing mediators. We introduce the notions of the viability of an agent and the stability of a political system and examine their interplay with the simplicial complex topology, casting their interactions in category-theoretic language whenever possible. We introduce a refinement of the model by assigning weights to simplices corresponding to the number of issues the agents agree on. In addition, homology of simplicial complexes is used to detect non-viabilities, certain cycles of incompatible agents, and the (non)presence of mediators. Finally, we extend some results from [1], bringing viability and stability into the language of friendly delegations and using homology to examine the existence of R-compromises and D-compromises.

Date: 2021-04, Revised 2021-12
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Published in Mathematical Social Sciences, Volume 114, November 2021

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